Balance training provides a great way to improve coordination, core strength and balance for sports such as surfing, snowboarding, and the like. Typically, a balance trainer may include a balance board to stand upon and an underlying structure that provides the balance board with limited stability. The balance board may include an upper surface having a dimension sufficient to permit a person to stand thereon with her feet spread apart in a “balancing” stance. Instead of resting on the ground or a floor, the board may rest on a pivot structure, such as a cylindrical roller that permits the board to statically pivot on the roller, as well as dynamically roll forward and backward over the roller in response to the balancing maneuvers and exercises of the user.
Because balance boards and rollers have been made of wood and hard plastics, they can be intimidating for novices and children since they are relatively heavy and have slick, low-friction surfaces, enabling the board to accelerate forward and backward on the roller quickly. A balance board or roller over which a user loses control may shoot forward or backward at a high speed, causing damage to surrounding structures and/or injury to the user and surrounding persons. Accordingly, there is a need for a balance board and roller set which is lighter and less prone to quick forward and backward accelerations than those currently used.
Typical balance boards and rollers made of wood and hard plastics may also be unwieldy to transport and store, as well as heavy for young and smaller users to carry. For example, a balance board may be more than 30 inches long, more than 15 inches wide and 1 or more inches thick. When made of wood or heavy plastic, this structure can be difficult for a young or smaller user to lift, carry and manipulate. Since the wood or heavy plastic boards and rollers have fixed dimensions, they can also be prohibitively heavy and large for travel. Accordingly, there is a need for a balance board and roller set which is lighter to carry and capable of being packed and stored conveniently.
Existing balance boards and rollers made of wood or heavy plastic also lack adjustability to match various skill levels, user weights and intended uses. Currently used balance boards and rollers, are of fixed dimensions, and thus in order to adjust the size or shape of the board and/or roller to accommodate different user skills and sizes, a different board or roller must be used, adding not only complexity for use, travel and storage, but also adding expense. Accordingly, there is a need for a balance board and roller set which provides some level of adjustability for users of different ages, weights, heights and skill levels.
Accordingly, it is an object of some, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the present invention to provide a balance board and/or roller that accelerate forward and backward less quickly than those used previously. It is also an object of some, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the present invention to provide a balance board and/or roller which is lighter to carry and more capable of being packed and stored conveniently than existing boards and rollers. It is also an object of some, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the present invention to provide a balance board and/or roller that provides some level of adjustability for users of different ages, weights, heights and skill levels.